History is the witness to the passing of time
by revelias
Summary: The Lyoko Warriors must decide whether or not to bring Sissy into the group.


_History is the witness to the passing of time_

By Revelias

I do not own CODE LYOKO. I wish I did but I don't. I am only borrowing them for the duration of this story. Any resemblance between the event within to any actual events are purely coincidental.

Please let me know what you thought about this piece as it is the first that I have written in a number of years. Thanks.

From the solitary dormitory window Sissy looked down upon the joviant students of Kadic Academy as they entered and exited the end of year dance. She had been forbidden from going to the dance but nothing would have kept her away not after Ulrich had surprised her by accepting her invitation. In truth she had not expected him to say yes but it did give her the opportunity to finally set things to right.

The hours before the dance had been a testament to her determination too impress Ulrich. As Sissy checked over her appearance a final time she began to whisper to herself. "Tonight is the night that everything will change. Tonight he will finally see me for me. Tonight is the night that everything will change."

Sissy was filled with confidence as she left her room. She was sure that after tonight everyone would see her as the person she really was and not as the stuck up bitch they all assumed her to be. No tonight everything would change. Tonight she would confess everything and Ulrich and the others would finally understand and perhaps accept her. Tonight one way or the other all the hurt, loneliness and pain that she kept bottled up inside would finally be washed away. After tonight Sissy's life would never be same.

At least that was how tonight was suppose to have been. Instead she was setting alone in her room watching the others as the celebrated the night. Her hopes of finally being accepted dashed before her like shattered glass.

"Why?" She asked herself while refusing to wipe away the tears that freely fell.

"Why" She asked again. The singular word quickly becoming a mantra to replace the optimism she had felt only hours before.

Sissy didn't know how long she had gazed out the window. She vaguely remembered her so called friends Hervé and Nicolas at her door earlier but everything now seemed a haze as she finished changing into her pajamas. Turning from her bed sleep was the last thing on her mind. Rather Sissy returned to her place at the window where she once again took up a solitary night watch until exhaustion overtook her and sleep finally came.

The morning brought with it all the old thoughts that had haunted her mind the night before. In the span of a few hours the shell of false confidence, refinement, and strength that she had worn over her fragile heart had been pulverized into dust and carried away on the wind.

Intentionally Sissy had avoided everyone for the early part of the day choosing instead to remain isolated in her room until she was able to marshal the small remaining fragments of her armor. She was, after all, Sissy Delmas and there was no way she would let anyone see the pathetic beaten girl that truly was. When people saw her they would know that nothing could bring her down, no one could hurt her, and nothing could get through the walls she had built up around her soul.

And to her word Sissy Delmas did just that when she left her room for the cafeteria. Those who saw her saw nothing of the person that she had hoped to become. If anything all traces of her sensitivity towards others was replaced with coldness. No, today even Hervé and Nicolas stayed away from the New Sissy Delmas.

Two days had passed since Sissy had adopted her new colder demeanor. Everyone had noticed the change and no one liked it. Her father had tried to speak with her about the change only to receive an uncaring emotionless stare for his concern. In the span of two days Sissy had severed all ties with her few acquaintances. Choosing to isolate herself with cold calculated malice towards everyone who reached out to her. In her mind Sissy had decided that if she could not have the kind of life she wanted than she would spend her life alone.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Aelita asked as the group watched Sissy drive away anyone that dared to look as though they were going to ask to set with her during dinner.

"I really don't know." Odd replied sounding genuinely worried about the girl he had so often harassed over the past year.

"What ever her problem is this has got to stop. She has more or less isolated herself from everyone. Even Hervé and Nicolas won't go near her anymore. I know that she can be a pain but this has gotten out of hand." Ulrich told the rest of the group.

"And just what do you propose we do about it cowboy?" Yumi asked her determined friend.

"I'm going to find out what her problem is." Ulrich said as he stood with his tray and walk over to join Sissy at her table without waiting for any of the others to reply.

"I have to say he's braver than I am." Jeremie said as he and the others watched their friend walk into the per verbal lion's den.

Ulrich didn't say anything as he took a seat at Sissy's table. Instead he simply resumed his meal and waited for her to open the conversation. However, to his surprise Sissy remained silent, finished her meal and left the cafeteria without issuing a single word to the boy she idolized.

After watching Sissy leave Jeremie and the others joined Ulrich on their out of the cafeteria in the hope that he might have learned why Sissy seemed to be so angry at the entirety of the world.

"Well Ulrich, what is her problem?" Aelita asked as she and the others approached.

"I haven't a clue. The whole time I sat here she didn't say a word." Ulrich responded. "She just ate her meal and left. But I know this much, I'm determined to find out what's going on with her even if it is the last thing I do." He said as he stood to put away his meal tray.

Everyone just shrugged and went about their day choosing to leave the mystery of Sissy's new attitude for Ulrich to unravel. However, to his credit Ulrich decided to approach the situation head on and after a brief walk back to the dorms found himself knocking at Sissy's door.

"Sissy, it's me Ulrich, can I talk to you for a minuet." Ulrich asked through the door after having knocked.

She did not immediately answer Ulrich, pretending instead not to notice the uninvited visitor. However, despite this he could plainly her to young woman moving around from within the room.

"I can hear you in there Sissy. Please open the door. I just want to find out why you have been so distant from everyone lately. Besides if something is bothering you than maybe... you know.. I could help." Ulrich spoke to the quite girl on the opposite side of the door.

Again he received no answer but waited a few moments before he spoke again.

"Listen if you don't feel like talking right now that's alright. You know where my room is and anytime you want to talk just..." Ulrich spoke through the door before it suddenly swung open revealing a obviously irritated Sissy.

"Why?" Sissy asked trying her very best to stare down the boy before her.

"Huh, why what?" He replied, confused by Sissy's unexpected question.

Ulrich's ignorance did not help to lighten Sissy mood and he could instantly see that he had just said wrong thing to the girl before him.

"I can understand if you didn't want to go to the dance with me. I never thought that you would have said yes in the first place. The only reason I asked was that I hoped you would say yes. I never expected... but when you..." The now angry and crying girl practically screamed.

No one could ever accused Ulrich of being the quickest horse out the gate but in the moments that passed he suddenly realized that the change in Sissy was at least in part because he had stood her up for the dance.

"Let's go inside." Ulrich softly said guiding Sissy back into her room before she could object.

"I never meant to hurt you. When you asked me I was angry with Yumi. I accepted your invitation to hurt her. I never considered how you would feel. Still that's not really and excuse and sorry doesn't begin to wipe away the hurt I have caused." Ulrich tried to explain.

"I know that you don't like me the way that I like you. And for the most part I have accepted that. Sometimes it is still hard for me to see you so smitten with Yumi. I can't change the way I feel for you. The truth is that my hope of winning you away from Yumi was only part of the reason I asked you to the dance." Sissy told Ulrich as she vainly tried to slow the tears.

"What was your other reason?" Ulrich curiously asked hoping not to upset her anymore than he already had. "You said that there was something else you wanted to tell me?"

For a moment Sissy considered what to do. Should or shouldn't she tell him everything that had been weighing on her heart and mind? Even for Sissy the answer was obvious enough. She would never get a better chance to confess her soul than right now.

"Do you want to know a secret?" Sissy asked turning away form Ulrich to look out her window at the courtyard below.

"I... well ... sure." Ulrich responded confused by the direction in which the conversation had progressed.

For a time Sissy remained quite allowing to seconds to pass as she watched the world outside her window slowly move by before she began.

"Everyone sees me in a certain way. They think of me as a self-center, stuck up, bitch and because that is how they see me they dislike me. However, what no one knows..., the secret that I have keep buried deep down is that as much as others may dislike me I hate myself a thousand times more."

Ulrich didn't know what to think of what he had just been told. Nothing in his experience with the girl had ever led him to consider that she felt this way about herself.

"I.. don't. I mean..." He tried to respond but was unable to think of anything that he believed would have been a comfort to her.

"I know that you and your friends don't like me." Sissy continued. "I was so happy when you said you would go to the dance with me because I knew that if you could just get to know the real me, the part of me that no one has ever taken the time to get to know, than we could really become friends." Sissy softly spoke as her voice became thick with sadness and regret.

Ulrich couldn't say anything as she opened her heart to him for the first time since they had met. Listening to Sissy he was forced to reevaluate everything that he and the others had ever said and thought about her. Of course there had been the rare moment when Sissy had seemed a kinder more caring person. Moments which he and the others had simply disregarded, However, looking back now after what she had told him those moments seemed to make complete sense. It wasn't that she had been acting out of character when she comforted Millie or when she was concerned for Odd's safety. It was only during those times that the real Elisabeth Delmas was out in the open for everyone to see.

"You don't know how much I envy you and your friends." Sissy said breaking Ulrich away from his mental reflections.

"What do you mean you envy us?" He asked.

"I've watched all of you over the last couple of years. You are always together, always there helping one another, supporting each other in whatever one of you might be doing. They are your friends and you are theirs. I have never known what it was to have a real friend. Someone that would be there for me and accept me regardless of what I had done. Hervé' and Nicholas try but they don't really know me. To them I'm just Sissy the principles daughter. The girl they can count on to get them out of jam.

I envy you and the others because there are no conditions to your friendships. Your group are friends for the sake of friendship. I have always wanted just one person like that in my life and you have four. Four people that you know without any doubt will be there for you anytime day or night without fail." Sissy said as she turned back to face a humbled Ulrich.

"So you see, I thought that if I could dhow you the real me than maybe we could become friends. Than maybe Jeremie and the others would become my friends as well. I know that I was trying to hard and I know that I did some pretty awful things to try and make that hope come true. But I could not think of any other way. I just wanted... to be accepted." She finished speaking knowing that there was more that needed to be said.

Ulrich didn't say anything for some time after Sissy had finished speaking. Instead he just observed her hoping to determine for himself he the story he had been told was the truth or part of some elaborate scheme.

"Truth." His heart and mind agreed.

Ulrich than did something that Sissy never expected. Taking her in his arms Ulrich hugged her until the tears she had been holding back burst through and had ceased their flow once again.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone at the dance. I'm sorry for a lot of things." He said.

"I can't speak for the others but I promise that I do my best to accept the real you from now on. But the truth is that if you want friends than the first thing you have to do is to stop hiding behind the mask that you have created for yourself. People will like and accept you if you just let then get to know you Sissy." Ulrich told her as he finally pulled away from her..

"I'll try," was Sissy's simple response. Yet she was determined not to let the past few hours be a waste. Beginning tomorrow she was going to show everyone the true face of Elisabeth Delmas.

Leaving Sissy's room Ulrich could not deny that from a certain point of view he and the others had never really given Sissy a chance. Their entire opinion about the type of person she was had been colored by the actions she took when Jeremie had first discovered the supercomputer. Actions that given the circumstances were completely warranted; after all, she hadn't revealed their secret out of malice but because she had been worried about their welfare. Still but for that simple twist of fate it would have been Sissy on Lyoko that day rather than Yumi.

Over and over he had replayed his conversation with Sissy and despite how he analyzed it there was only one conclusion he could come too. They were at least in part the cause of Sissy's behavior and it was up to them to clean up the mess of her life that had been created.

"Did you talk to her?" Odd asked from his bunk as Ulrich came into their shared room.

"Yeah, we talked." He replied.

"And what's her problem?" The blond boy questioned his roommate; some what upset by his friends less than quick responses.

Ulrich glanced towards Odd and watched as he played with Kiwi before he replied. "We are."

The following morning during breakfast Ulrich explained everything that he and Sissy had talked about the night before to the entire group. Whom after working everything through for themselves had come to the same conclusion that Ulrich had. They were responsible for Sissy.

"We all agree that we are in part the cause of 'the Sissy problem'." Yumi begin. "But the question is what do we do about it. Because, even though I feel sorry for her I don't think that we can just bring her into the group. After all, sooner or later Xana will attack and then what. If we did bring her in than we would have to tell her everything and I for one don't think of that as a good idea."

"I agree, its too soon to even consider telling her the whole truth. But at the same time I think that at the very least we should try to be more friendly towards her." Aelita added.

"I don't know if that would work either." Jeremie considered. "If we start to make friend with her than how do we explain it when we all run off to fight Xana. Once or twice might not be a problem but we have to face the fact that Xana is getting stronger and the last few time we faced him it took everything we had just to reach a draw. And I don't really think I have to remind you that our lack of strength nearly cost Aelita her life. If we include Sissy it has to be one hundred percent otherwise..." He faded off.

"I hate to admit it but Einstein is right. It has to be all or nothing." Odd spoke up. "I mean I want to help her but considering what at stake we really don't have too many options."

"Do any of you hear what you are saying. You are talking about telling Sissy about Lyoko, Aelita, and Xana. It doesn't matter how responsible for her we are the fact remains that she betrayed us once. How do we know she won't do it again?" Yumi sternly asked.

For a time no one said anything. They each just took the time to think about all that had been said and the choice that they ultimately had to make.

"You're right. Sissy did betray us once but on the other hand you made that choice once as well Yumi." Ulrich reminded her. "Sissy did what she did because she believed that our lives were in danger just like you. If that is the bases of who is and isn't apart of this than we should all drop out right now." He told the raven haired girl. "Besides if she hadn't stayed to tell her father than she would already be one of us. Or have we all forgotten that she was with us when Jeremie first introduced us to Aelita." He finished making his point.

"I don't think that we are going to solve this right at this moment." Jeremie said trying to calm everyone down. "I suggest that we go about our day and think about everything. Tonight we will meet at the factory and decide once and for all what we should do."

"Agreed." Everyone said as they put their trays away and headed off towards their various activities.

"So what do you really think Yumi?" Ulrich asked as he walked beside the Japaneses girl.

"Do you really want to know?" She questioned.

Ulrich simply nodded to signal that he truly wanted to hear her thoughts.

"I can't say that I have ever been a fan of Sissy's and in truth the few times that she has shown concern for others have never struck me as being her norm. Rather I think that the Sissy that we usually see is her true self. I can't say what would have happen if she had gone to Lyoko rather than me but I can say that she has done nothing to prove that she would have been any different than she is now." Yumi said without ever looking directly at the boy beside her.

Ulrich glanced towards his companion as they continued to walk. "Is it really that hard for you to trust someone Yumi?" He asked.

Yumi was so surprised by Ulrich's question that she stopped in her tracks and regarded to boy with a mixture of hurt and dismay. "How could you say that after everything that we have been through?" She asked with hurt latent in her voice.

"I know how that must have come out. But you have to understand that you have never been the most open member of our group. Look how long it took for you to really let any of us into your life." He told her after stopping a few steps ahead of her.

"That doesn't mean..." Yumi begin.

"Yumi, the truth is that out of the five of us you are the only one that still holds back. Sometimes its like you're standing behind a wall with a glass gate. If we look thought the gate than we can just whats beyond it. However, if we try to look to far to the left or right than all we see is the wall." Ulrich confronted her.

"So you think that my mistrust of Sissy has something to do with this wall I'm standing behind huh?" She returned with more than a little anger in her voice.

Ulrich lowered his head trying to figure out just what to say to get his point across without hurting her anymore than he already had.

"It's not that at all Yumi. We know you and we trust you with our lives. You have to know that by now. But the thing is you need people to prove themselves before you ever consider letting them get close to you." He told the still upset girl.

"That's not true. I let you and the others in right away. I didn't take..."

"Remember Odd?" Ulrich asked cutting Yumi off mid-sentence.

"Me and Jeremie thought that you would never trust him. Weeks after we first went to Lyoko it was like you couldn't stand to be in the same sector with him. Sure you never said or did anything directly but your mistrust of him was there and we all could see it. It got to the point that we considered asking you to leave the group." Ulrich said hoping that he hadn't said too much.

Yumi was obviously shocked by what she had just learned. She honestly had no idea that she had acted so harshly towards Odd or that they others had considered taking such an extreme action to solve the problem.

"Uh Yumi, are you..." Ulrich asked reaching for her shoulder.

"What changed your minds?" She asked, causing Ulrich to withdraw his hand.

"What?" He asked.

"What stopped you and Jeremie from asking me to leave." Yumi asked, holding back the tears that had begun to form.

Ulrich paused for a moment before he answered. "Odd." was all he said.

"But you said that it was the way I acted towards him that caused you to consider..."

"It was, but when we told Odd what we were thinking of doing he wouldn't go along with it. Odd told us that you were just a bit standoffish and that given time you would warm up to him. But what I remember most about that conversation was that Odd looked directly at me and Jeremie and told us that if you were out than he was out as well because no one deserved to be alone." Ulrich told Yumi who was now lost in her own thoughts about what they had discussed. Regarding her for a moment longer Ulrich turned and walked away leaving Yumi to her own thoughts.

"So Aelita, what do you think we should do about the Sissy situation" Odd asked the pink haired girl as he played with Kiwi. It was obvious to Aelita that the little dog was more than happy to be able to run and play freely in the woods after having spending so much time lock up in its owners dorm room.

"I know exactly how he feels." She mentally told herself.

"Earth to Aelita." Odd called. "Princess, are you alright?" He worriedly questioned.

Aelita was somewhat startled by Odd calling her away from her thoughts. "Oh, Odd I'm sorry did you say something?" She asked.

"I just asked what you thought about how we should handle Sissy?" Odd restated his earlier question.

Aelita paused for a moment before she attempted to give the young man an answer that would satisfy each of them. "I know that it might not be the popular answer but after thinking more about it I think that we should tell her everything."

Aelita had expected Odd to immediately began to question her about why she had come to that conclusion but instead he simply looked at her for a moment before he continued to amuse his canine companion before he said. "That makes three."

Jeremie diligently worked on a way for the group to continue their fight against Xana now that he had escaped onto the Internet. Normally the dull sound of tapping keys and the constant hum of his computer were relaxing. However, try as he might today he found it almost impossible to concentrate at his appointed task. His mind simply refused to remain on his work when the question of what to do about Sissy had yet to be answered. In the end Jeremie gave up on trying to substitute one problem for another and begin a mental debate on the Sissy question.

As he weighed the pros and cons of letting Sissy in on the groups secrets he had to admit to himself that in the times that she had been forced to join them she had been a valuable ally. However, it was all the other times that weighed down his favorable opinion of the girl.

Regardless of his personal feelings he could not ignore the opinions of the others. In order for the team to survive than the team must be unified. Which simply put meant that ultimate decision of what to do about Sissy rested with the group as a whole.

Still, the longer Jeremie pondered the question the more often he came to the same answer. For better or worst Sissy was already one of them. She had faced the dangers with them time and time again proving herself to them only to have that proof erased with the activation of a return to the past. Regardless of if she remembered or not she had shown an uncommon loyalty to the group.

However despite her actions and the loyalty she had shown to each of them during times of crises Jeremie could not deny the undeniable truth. Without a unanimous vote Sissy's memories would be erased and any personal progress she had made in the past few days would be wiped away forever. He knew that they really didn't have the right to do so but until Xana had been dealt with once and for all such choices simply had to be made.

Around and around Jeremie's train of thought lead him to the same outcome again and again. The truth was he had been silently praying for something to come along and take his mind off of Sissy for at least a minuet or two. And then just like that he got his wish with a slight knocking on his door.

"One moment." He called through the door as he hesitantly arose from his desk. "Yes, how can I..." He began before paused at the sight of the girl who had been the focus of his mental dilemma.

"Um Sissy, why are you... I mean..." he tried to question his visitor but was unable to get the words out before the young woman before him began to speak.

"Jeremie, before you go on I need to tell you something that I have wanted to tell you for sometime." She said.

"Oh, alright. Why don't you come in where we can be more comfortable." Jeremie offered.

Sissy couldn't help to smile at the invitation, considering that it was first time that she had ever been invited into anyones room. Yet she knew that she had to get through what she had come to do. Afterwards if there was time and if the invitation remained than she would accept.

"Before I do I need to tell you that I'm sorry." She said straightforwardly causing Jeremie's to momentarily reconsider if it was truly Sissy standing before him.

"Sorry, for what?" He asked stepping back from the doorway in order to gesture his visitor inside.

Accepting the second invitation Sissy moved into the room and took the seat he offered her.

"I won't take up your too much of your time Jeremie." Sissy began. "But, after talking with Ulrich I figured that it would be best if I explained to you why I have been so bitter towards you ands the others."

"Alright, but are you sure that you want to do this. I mean whatever you tell me will not necessarily effect how the others chose to relate to you." Jeremie told her, in part hoping to prevent her from reveling too much before the group had made its decision.

"I'm sure I need to tell you this. Besides, no matter what happens in the future I want you know." Sissy replied before she began her confession.

"It really started after Aelita transferred into Kadic. I was so jealous of her. I could not understand why her and not me." Sissy begin. "After all, Aelita had been here for less than a day before you and the others had welcomed her into your group like you had known her for years. Whereas, whenever I tried to talk to any of you I always got the feeling that you hated me for some unforgivable sin I had committed." She explained.

"I'm sorry if we made you feel that way but with Aelita being Odd's cousin and all it was just natural that we bring her into the group." Jeremie openly lied hoping not to further insight Sissy's suspicions.

"You're a horrible lier you know that Jeremie." Sissy remarked while softly giggling. "But that's alright. You see part of what I wanted to tell you is that I have known for some time that Aelita isn't really Odd's cousin. Because I was so jealous of her that I had to do something about it. So I made it my mission to find out anything and everything there was to know about Aelita Stones." Sissy told the stunned and speechless Jeremie.

"I began looking into her past and spying on your group hoping to find something that I could use against her. But I kept running into dead ends until one day I over heard Odd telling you that he couldn't pursue a relationship with Aelita because she was suppose to be his cousin. After that I learned that you and the others were trying to find an old teacher named Franz Hooper. Everything else just fell into place."

"How did you... I mean why would you..." Jeremie desperately tried to create a suitable cover story in the hopes that he could make her believe that her suspicions about Aelita were wrong.

"Jeremie relax." She told the frantic boy. "I made sure that no one else knows or will ever find out provided that nothing happens to cause anyone to look to deeply into her past." Sissy finished smiling.

Jeremie was caught and he knew it. If Sissy was telling the truth than a word from her to her father could bring down everything the group had built over the past year.

"So what do you want?" He asked knowing that there would be a high price to pay to keep Aelita's secret safe.

"Nothing." Sissy replied still smiling at the now confused genius.

"What?" Jeremie asked unsure of what was happening.

"I told you that I came here to tell you that I was sorry not to blackmail you or the others. I found out Aelita's secret because you forgot to cover you tracks. " Sissy reminded him.

"I don't understand?"

"I have to admit that I don't understand how but I know that Aelita real name is Aelita Hopper and that her father is Franz Hopper." Sissy told a socked Jeremie.

"But how? It took us months to figure out who her parents were." He asked wanting to known how Sissy had discovered the truth.

Sissy took that moment to remove a folded sheet of paper from her purse and hand it to Jeremie. "This is how I found out and this is the only copy of the evidence on campus." She told him as he began to look over the sheet of paper.

"Your kidding!" Jeremie practically screamed as he read over the page.

The factory was abandoned except for the small group of teenagers awaiting the arrival of their friend and leader. No one seemed to be in a hurry to renew the debate over the issue of what to do about Sissy. Therefore no one said anything, they simply waited in silence hoping that something would happen to lighten the glum atmosphere. This is how Jeremie found the group when the surface elevator opened to the supercomputer control room.

"It's about time Einstein." Odd spoke up jumping off a rung of the singular ladder that occupied the room.

"Yea, Jeremie, where were you?" Yumi asked.

"Well, the truth is that I was with Sissy." He told his gathered friends.

"You were with... What is it about Sissy all of a sudden that makes you guys want to hang out with her." Yumi fumed, trying to hide her quickly fading dislike for the girl.

Jeremie choosing not to dignify Yumi's hollow outburst took his usual seat at the computer controls.

"Sissy came to my room this afternoon. She said that she wanted to apologize for something that she had done." Jeremie stated.

"So what had she done?" Ulrich asked.

"Sissy said that she had been trying to find information to use against Aelita because she had been jealous of how easily we had all welcomed her into our group. She had secretly begin looking into Aelita past but not being able to uncover anything turned to spying on us for information that might help her. She eventually overheard enough that she was able to discover that Aelita isn't really Odd's cousin." He told the stunned group.

It was an undoubted shock that of all people Sissy would have had the patience and determination to carry out such a skilled investigation. However, it should have come as no surprise considering the number of plans she had executed over the years with only the minimal amount of help from Herve and Nicholas.

"So how long has she known?" Aelita nervously asked.

"About a year." Jeremie replied.

"But we only found out a few weeks ago." Odd piked in.

"Wait, what could she have possible learned from listening to us that would have lead her to the truth when it took us twice as long to come to the same answer." Yumi excitedly asked.

"It wasn't what she learned. It's what she didn't know that lead her to the answer." Jeremie replied while retrieving the paper that Sissy had given him.

"What does that mean in English Jeremie." Ulrich asked clearly annoyed.

"It's like this, when we first met Aelita she was on Lyoko and I assumed that she had been created as part of that world. At the time we never considered that she had once been a real person living here on Earth so when she was first virtualized we never thought too look into her past life on Earth. However, there was no way for Sissy to know this. So when Aelita joined us on Earth Sissy began looking for information on Aelita Stone, a living breathing person, but could only find the falsified history we had created for her. However, Sissy didn't stop digging and she eventually found out that we were searching for Franz Hopper and that he had been a teacher at Kadic. From that all Sissy had to do was to pay a visit to the library." Jeremie explained to the transfixed group of listeners.

"I still don't see the connection Jeremie." Yumi said brushing her hair out of her eyes. How does any of that connect Aelita to Franz Hopper. After all when we learned he had been a teacher here we went to library to look him up and we didn't find anything." She finished.

"True, but by the time we searched the library records Sissy had already beaten us to the information." Jeremie said handing the sheet of paper to Aelita. "This is all Sissy needed to bring everything we have built here down around us."

Aelita's faced mirrored the roller coaster of emotions she was experiencing as she read over the sheet Jeremie has given her.

"Well Princess what does it say?" Odd asked as he watched his friend futile attempt to check her emotions.

Still Aelita said noting. Instead she handed over the sheet and fell into Jeremie's arms where she began to cry. Silently they watched Jeremie try to comfort her, momentarily forgetting the paper that had caused to emotional outburst.

"Odd, what does it say?" Ulrich asked bringing the others away from their saddened friend.

"Oh well, it's a page of a yearbook and... oh man." Odd said as his voiced trailed off in disbelief turning back to Aelita with a deep sense of pity swelling in his heart for the girl.

Taking the sheet from Odd Ulrich and Yumi collectively read over it. Their eyes widening as they read the comment written beside the smiling picture of fifth-teen year old Aelita Hopper.

Hey Aelita,

Hope you have a great summer vacation.

Lori G.

May 24, 1994

"I can't believe it." Yumi gasped.

Ever since they had discovered the truth behind Franz Hopper and Xana the group had known that Aelita had lost a number of years on Lyoko. However, they had never considered that so much time had really past while she slept.

"I knew that I wasn't really fifth-teen but to find out that I'm really twenty-eight. I've lost so much of my life because of my father and Xana." Aelita cried as Jeremie did his best to comfort her. "If it wasn't for each of you I don't know what would have become of me. There is no way that I could ever rally thank any of you for the parts you have played in helping me rebuild my life."

"Aelita you don't ever have to worry about losing any of us. We're your family now. We can never replace what was taken from you but we can help you make a new life here where you can experience all of things you never got a chance too before." Odd told his still weeping friend trying his best to say exactly the right words to help her cope with this newest realization.

Aelita had no doubts in her heart that everyone would support her through the days of discovery that lay ahead for them all. She would never be alone as long as she had true friends that she could always depend on. Understanding this thought brought her mind back to the reason they were all together tonight and to the person who had second handedly reconfirmed the connection she held with her friends.

Pulling away from Jeremie Aelita turned to face the others. "I have each of you in my life and I would never want anything to separate us. But what about Sissy? She doesn't have anyone. She's alone. I thought it didn't really matter what we decided tonight because she could always find friends if she truly wanted too. But what if thats not the case. What if..." Aelita paused trying to exactly articulate what she was trying to relate to the others.

"A twist of fate." She said. "If not for a simple twist of fate I might have never met any of you and than my life would be like Sissy's is now. She's alone and she needs us. It doesn't matter if we tell her about Lyoko I think, no I know, that we can trust her. She only needs..." Aelita had been unknowingly began to rumble as her own emotions became enter tangled with her thoughts surrounding Sissy. It was due to Jeremie's calming her that she was finally able to relax enough to take a breath during her rant.

"Aelita's right. We came here to decide what to do about Sissy. Whether or not we should bring her into our group or should we erase her memory of everything thats happened." Yumi stated attempting to refocus everyone on the task at hand.

"Sorry Yumi but that wont work now." Jeremie replied while still holding Aelita close to him.

"What do you mean it wont work?" Ulrich asked for clarification.

"I mean that we can't erase her memory. The returns to the past are limited to a twenty-four hour period. Sissy has know about Aelita secret for months. Therefore, even if we went back in time..."

"It wouldn't make a difference. Sissy would still have ammunition against us." Odd interrupted.

"Exactly." Jeremie finished.

After allowing a few moment for everyone to consider what had been said Yumi asked. "Than what are our options?"

"Simple, we either A) tell her everything or B) tell her nothing in which case we risk her revealing the truth to anyone and everyone that will listen." Odd answered.

"But don't we run the same risk if we tell her the truth? I mean we have no ideal how she will react too all of this." Yumi questioned.

"Exactly. Its like someone once said 'We're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't'. So which path do we follow A or B?" Jeremie asked hoping that at this moment someone wiser than he would come up with a world saving plan C.

"I say we put it to a vote and the majority will rule regardless of the outcome." Yumi suggested.

"Agreed." The collective group confirmed.

"Alright than everyone in favor of telling Sissy everything raise your hand." Yumi instructed.

Only a moment passed before each member had voted in favor of discloser. The general consensus being that the chance of gaining a new friend and allies far outweighed the possibility of their secret being exposed.

"So I guess that's that. We tell her everything first thing in the morning." Jeremie stated finally releasing Aelita in order to call for the surface elevator. "But for now it's getting late and we will all need our rest for tomorrow. I'll leave Sissy a note to meet us at the gates of the school after breakfast. From there we will come here and let her in on everything." He continued laying out the plan for the next days events.

After everyone agreed the group separated and returned to their respected homes to await the morning and to find out if the choices made tonight would gain them a new friend or a potentially more dangerous enemy.


End file.
